I have never visited the Gulf of Alaska. Not any other place in Alaska. In spite of it, I can certainly appreciate the fact that it holds the most pristine waters and environment in the world, second only to the Arctic as we have known it.
It is, therefore, a tremendous shock to learn that our US Navy is beginning live bombing training exercises on the Gulf of Alaska beginning next month (yes, June 2015). We are talking about live torpedoes, missiles, depth charges â the works â into the pristine waters of our wild salmon runs, bird foraging areas, and breeding grounds for mammals â whales, sea lions, seals â for the next 5 years and possibly up to the next 20 years.
That such activity will have an incredible damage on the sustainability of all tribes, fishermen, and the human chain all down the line is a given. The expended materials alone being dumped into those waters will be releasing their poisons for years to come â affecting the entire human population consuming the delicious and nutritious Wild Alaskan Salmon in ways that can only be too accurately predicted.
This goes beyond the current situation many of us are experiencing right now on our Olympic Peninsula in our attempts to stop the US Navy from using our public lands as training grounds. So it is with much curiosity that I cannot help but wonder how many of my environmental friends and colleagues will react to the news about our Gulf of Alaska going through a âshock and aweâ devastation, not dissimilar to what the people of Iraq experienced during that disgraceful period.
I was equally surprised to find out that environmental organizations in Alaska are, apparently, not coming to the forefront to protest such actions that will, no doubt, impact the very causes they fight for. However, I must admit that is the same reaction I had when many of the Washington State environmental organizations and their leaders (my friends and colleagues) either took the (a) hands-off approach to the OP vs Navy issue because it appears to be a NIMBY issue â which makes me wonder how in the world anyone can think that our Olympic National Park is a NIMBY issue â or (b) perhaps their organization accepts mitigation funding from the Navy or other government agencies or foundations, which would ultimately affect their own wages, or (c) they are hesitant to ârock the boatâ with political allies.
I am all for collaboration efforts â I believe in it and, unfortunately, sometimes there are compromises that both sides must make to reach an agreement. However, I cannot and will not compromise in speaking out for the outright intrusion that our own military is pushing on its own population, our public lands and national treasures.
This is not about military training or protecting our country â such actions are not disputed by me. I believe in our military having the best training possible; although not at any cost. Not at the cost of endangering those very same human lives they are supposed to be protecting; not by endangering our food chain; not by endangering the pristine environments that hold precious wildlife so important to our very own human existence â and not by blatantly disregarding the peopleâs concerns.
So, please tell me what you are going to do about it. Will you join me â indeed, many of us who are right now involved in this potentially irrevocable action by our own military? Or will you be passive and wait for others to do the job?
There comes a time when we must stand up for those who cannot speak. That time is now.
Connie Gallant
PS. If you would like to receive continuing information that I come across on the subject, please let me know through conniegallant.com. To read the very recent and superb article by Olympic Peninsula resident Dahr Jamal, of Truthout.org, about the affront to the Gulf of Alaska, please click on following link:
http://www.truth-out.org/...
"Destroying What Remains: How the US Navy Plans to War Game the Arctic"